8 1Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.* 2Early in the morning Jesus went back to the temple* area. All the people came to Jesus. Jesus sat and taught the people. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees* brought a woman there. The woman hadbeen caught doing the sin of adultery.* These Jews forced the woman to stand beforethe people. 4They said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught having sex with a man that is not her husband. 5The law of Moses commands that we kill with rocksevery woman that does this. What do you say we should do?" 6The Jews were using this question to trick Jesus. They wanted to catch Jesus saying something wrong. Then they could have a charge against him. But Jesus kneeled down and started writingon the ground with his finger. 7The Jewish leaders continued to ask Jesus their question. So Jesus stood up and said, "Is there any person here that has never sinned?That person without sin can throw the first rock at this woman." 8Then Jesus kneltdown again and wrote on the ground. 9The people that heard Jesus began to leave one by one. The older men left first, and then the others. Jesus was left there alone with the woman. She was standing before him. 10Jesus looked up again and askedher, "Woman, all of those people are gone. None of them judged you guilty?" 11Thewoman answered, "None of them judged me, sir." Then Jesus said, "So I also don't judge you. You can go now, but don't sin again."

Jesus Is the Light of the World

12Later, Jesus talked to the people again. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world.The person that follows me will never live in darkness. That person will have thelight that gives life." 13But the Pharisees* said to Jesus, "When you talk about yourself, you are the only one to say that these things are true. So we cannot accept these things you say." 14Jesus answered, "Yes, I am saying these things aboutmyself. But people can believe these things I say. Why? Because I know where I camefrom. And I know where I am going. [I am not like you people]. You don't know whereI came from or where I am going. 15You judge me the way you would judge any man. I don't judge any person. 16But if I judge, my judging is true. Why? Because whenI judge I am not alone. The Father who sent me is with me. 17Your own law says thatwhen two witnesses say the same thing, then you must accept what they say. 18I amone of the witnesses that speaks about myself. And the Father who sent me is my other witness." 19The people asked, "Where is your father?" Jesus answered, "You don't know me or my Father. But if you knew me, then you would know my Father too."20Jesus said these things while he was teaching in the temple* area. He was near the place where all the people came to give money. But no person arrested him. The right time for Jesus had not yet come.

Footnotes: Mount of Olives A hill east of the city of Jerusalem where a person couldlook down into the temple area. temple The special building in Jerusalem for Jewishworship. Pharisees The Pharisees were a Jewish religious group that claimed to followcarefully all Jewish laws and customs. adultery Breaking a marriage promise by sexualsin.

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